Top Autumn Travel Destinations, According to Travel Bloggers

Autumn is magic. With a goodbye kiss to beach days and an open-arm welcome to sweater weather, the striking season inspires travelers all over the world to frolic in its foliage and seek out the best autumn travel destinations. The brush of autumn imbues the landscape in vibrant warmth and the air in briskness—perfect conditions for taking to the world’s autumn travel destinations and exploring their seasonal beauty. For us, we explored the magical colors of Daedunsan and its Cloud Bridge, declared South Korea’s autumn a winner at life, and sought out the top romantic destinations to enjoy autumn in Korea. To commemorate this magical harvest season, we’ve also asked a few of our fellow travel blogger friends to tell us about their favorite autumn travel destinations.

From the romantic backdrop of elegant architecture or glimmering waters, to settings for cozy cuddles with brews and spiced drinks—these top autumn travel destinations, as recommended by travel bloggers, will inspire you to chase that fleeting soft autumn light across the world for yourself.

Everyone has their own favorite spots for scoping out a bit of autumn, but for those who’d like a tip from those who travel most, here’s our list of travel bloggers’ picks for top autumn travel destinations.

Copenhagen, Denmark

The Danish capital of Copenhagen is beautiful in all seasons, but has a special vibe going on in the autumn. Be warned, it might not be the best place to visit if you’re looking for a little late season sun. It’s usually notably colder here than other western European cities in the fall. But if you pack some warm clothes, you will definitely enjoy everything that Copenhagen has to offer.

Some tips to make the most out of an autumn visit:

Take a stroll through the Nyhavn district, with its characteristic coloured houses. Grab a coffee or a local beer in one of the cozy pubs and cafe’s.

To see a lot of the city in a short amount time: take a boat tour around Copenhagen’s canals. Boats are heated (luckily) and also depart from Nyhavn.

Visit one of the many design shops and check out some famous Danish design. A perfect activity when the weather isn’t on your side. There’s also a Design Museum.

End your day at the vintage amusement parkTivoli Gardens, right in the heart of the city. This one-of-a-kind amusement park really comes to life in autumn evenings, thanks to the beautiful seasonal decorations.

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

We moved to Vancouver in August for few months. This was my first autumn in America. While growing up in Hungary, autumn was my favourite season, but this appreciation started to fade away during my last years spent in the boreal forests of Finland.

Finally, I feel it again. Despite the rainy days, the colors are stunning—red, green, yellow—and every shade of them! Colorful maples, oaks and alders are everywhere in the city! Not only on the streets and in the parks, but in the nature as well. It is the perfect time of the year to go for a hike. This is the most beautiful autumn I’ve ever had!

Oxford, England

Our spontaneous visit to Oxford turned out to be one of the most magical days we have ever spent in the United Kingdom. Exploring the University of Oxford in early autumn can be a breathtaking experience. The stunning architecture of the university buildings, together with colourful university parks, make the campus look like the set of the Harry Potter films. Young people studying on benches and lawns, playing games and cycling around creates the relaxing vibe of this harmonious place. It is definitely one of our favourite places in Great Britain, especially in autumn!

Hamburg, Germany

An autumn’s stroll can take you around a huge lake surrounded by trees of all color, from bright red to deep gold, the water reflecting and twinkling beneath the still warming sun, a clear blue sky above, sailboats sporadically floating in and out of sight, a fresh, salty breeze tangling your hair.

Sounds like a secluded little paradise somewhere, anywhere, far away?

Well – in fact, the lake called Alster is in the very center of Hamburg, Germany’s vibrant northern pearl. It’s fascinating, when on the water, you’re in the middle of a city above 1,5 million in population, and still surrounded by the fewest people.

But not only the trees offer a firework of colors. Rummage through diverse flea markets to your heart’s content, explore the numerous fascinating museums during greyer days (the Miniatur Wunderland will make your inner child’s eyes glow!) —and definitely enjoy the wide view over its typically copper green roofs from Michel, Hamburg’s landmark.

Rome, Italy

When you are going to visit Rome – it can be winter or summer – you are going to be overwhelmed by its majestic beauty. But I think it’s in autumn that the city brings out the best and shows its treasures in a magic light.

The Colosseum is always magnificent, but it is even more so with a red-purple sky background. Having a walk along the Tiber River is more picturesque if framed by red-yellow leaves. Even visiting Vatican’s Museum could be more pleasant if you know that, once you finish the visit, you will be embraced by a tasty pasta and a glass of Italian wine (yes, autumn is wine season) to be enjoyed on a crisp fall day.

And if you need to slow down from the city rhythm and relax for a while, why don’t you have a walk in the Orange Garden? It’s located on the top of a little hill very close to the center, and it’s an oasis of peace with a spectacular view on the city. It’s a small park full of orange trees, the perfect place to enjoy autumn color shades of this amazing city.

Chester, England

The best thing about Chester is that you can enjoy autumn in two countries at the same time! This border city between England and Wales has a lot to offer during this magical season. You can watch the autumn colours on the trees with a historical cathedral at the background (and visit it for free!), feel the Roman spirits during walks on the city walls (2,95 km around the city!) or feel the fresh breeze outside the local pubs near the canal. The best idea to see all the attractions (and stay fit all year long!) is to jump on a bike and go for a trip. There is so much to see! When you’re filled with energy, don’t forget to visit Grosvenor Park and feed squirrels. These little creatures are really friendly and if you have enough nuts maybe they’ll tell you secrets about Chester and why nobody wants to leave this place eventually…

Lisbon, Portugal

It’s not without a good reason that Momondo has chosen Lisbon as one of the best fall destinations of 2016. The city is beautiful all throughout the year, but there are a few sound arguments in favor of an autumn. For one, the milder climate of fall can make walking up and down the seven hills much easier. Another advantage of visiting Lisbon this time of the year is you will find it less crowded. The high season for tourism has ended, and you’ll get to see more locals than visitors in the streets. The access to museums and monuments will be easier and the prices will be more attractive. You probably won’t find grilled sardines, but you’ll have roasted chestnuts if the temperatures start to dip and you want to warm up your hands. You can easily find this tasty snack on the streets—you just have to follow the smell and the signs of smoke. A paper cone with 12 smoking hot chestnuts will cost you around 2,5 € and will warm up your soul (and stain your hands, also!).

Bruges, Belgium

Autumn travel destination recommended by Rashmi and Chalukya of GOBeyondBounds

Bruges is a pure and untouched surreal medieval town in Belgium. It is well connected from Brussels and is less than an hour which makes it a perfect one-day destination from the capital city. Bruges in autumn turns more romantic than ever and one can enjoy the town in vibrant colors. We would advise spending a day in Bruges exploring the town by foot or by cycle rather than combining this beautiful city with other nearby attractions like Ghent. And when you are in Bruges don’t forget to have some Belgian fries, as Bruges is said to have the first and only museum dedicated to potato fries and the production of Belgian fries.

Seattle, Washington, USA

Seattle is simply gorgeous in autumn. The leaves turn from bright green to vibrant shades of red, yellow and orange and scatter all over the city. Puddles that are perfect for splashing in are almost always guaranteed in this city know for its rainy weather. Speaking of weather, fall begins with toasty warm weather and transitions into crisp days perfect for sweaters and scarves. True Seattlelites grew up wearing coats under their Halloween costumes and usually also incorporated an umbrella. Every Friday in Seattle is Blue Friday, where locals show off their Seahawks pride with Seahawks sweatshirts, jerseys and even rain boots! Finally, I feel like Seattle is the home of Pumpkin Spice Lattes, which is autumn in a cup!

So there you have it—the magic of the season through autumn travel destinations across the world. Now don’t get us wrong, we appreciate all the seasons: perfect hidden beach summer days, the blooming of Korean cherry blossom trees in the spring, or the gleefully unfamiliar Jeju Island winter that ushered in more snow than any of the previous 30 years. But still, there’s just something so whimsical and comforting about the season of falling leaves that makes autumn travel destinations all that more enticing.

If you’re in the autumn spirit yourself, keep a look out for our upcoming posts! We just visited some of the South Korea’s most incredible autumn travel destinations, and are excited to share them in all their glory! Follow Television of Nomads on Bloglovin’, Facebook, or Twitter, to be alerted to our new posts, or subscribe to our email list in the right sidebar.

27 Comments

The post is great and after reading it we just want to pack and travel around the world enjoying this beautiful season! Thank you so much for your work, putting all this together and for giving me the opportunity to cooperate with you and with this great group of bloggers.

OMG I really wish I had more vacation days to explore all these places!!! For now, I think I’ll just dream about the Univ. of Oxford. That walking trail looks so stunning and the colors are beautiful. We definitely don’t have that here in LA so I’m totally living vicariously though this post =]

Hi Lauren and Ben. First time on your site. Great post on autumn travel. We’ve been lucky to have seen some these autumn destinations, but you also gave us some great ideas for future trips. Oh yeah, small world. Steve graduated from UCLA too!

Couldn’t agree with you more, autumn is most certainly my favorite time of year and as your post highlights, there are some places that really come alive during these months. And while I have no arguments with your picks – Copenhagen and Washington are both particularly beautiful in the fall – may I also add a couple of suggestions of my own? Firstly, any of the Northeastern states were all gorgeous when I traveled through them last October, such incredible color while Ireland, both North and South are really great during these times, at least when the weather decides to cooperate. Anyway, really great post as always and just more proof you were deserving of that Versatile Blogger Nomination! Look forward to reading more

Your photos are all stunning! It has been my dream to experience the winter season. We don’t have that kind here in the Philippines. I wish I could know how does it feel to breathe the winter air, to see the colors of the leaves on the trees. 🙂

I love how you’ve included a couple of pointers for Denmark to help make the most of Autumn!
I definitely second England for autumn! Visited the country twice this season and it’s such a lovely place. I like all (but two) of these destinations is in Europe… I should start planning for next autumn and make a europe trip out of it 😀

You could probably add another thousand destinations to the fall list and it wouldn’t be a bad choice. Autumn is truly spectacular and yhe choices and pictures in this blog show its true colours. The only thing I don’t like about fall is that winter is nearing, I am not a fan of the cold.

Sheena

November 27, 2016 at 12:44 pm

The destination that stands out to me most on the list if Vancouver – Stanley Park is just beautiful in the fall. I think England would also be beautiful to visit at this time, I’m actually planning a trip there in the fall next year, can’t wait!

These all look wonderful for taking in fall colors! I am biased about my favorite fall destination, as I live in New England and think that it touts the most stunning of autumns. Even during my commute to work, I’m delighted by brightly colored trees lining the busy highway! It makes my commute to work that much more enjoyable! Also, a trip up to the White Mountains in New Hampshire will never disappoint a “leaf peeper”!

About Us

Lovers and Travelers

We're Lauren and Ben, a couple of LA natives (one writer and one Jeopardy! contestant) with a thirst for the world. We've caught a travel bug that we will never lose, and over the 35+ countries we've visited, we've racked up a ton of travel knowledge we want to share with you all!

What’s In a Name?

"One of the young Berbers who had helped in our sand baptism gestures to the sky. 'You, at home in America, you have T.V.’s to watch, television…artificial, right? But this…' he says, spreading his arms at the white moon, the black screen so clustered with constellations, with shooting stars, millions of light-years trapped in one singular moment of time...

Find us on Facebook

Join the Journey

First NameLast Name

Email address:

Disclosure

Television of Nomads are participants in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This affiliate advertising program comes at no cost to you, but helps offset the costs of running our website and keeping you fueled with the newest and greatest in travel tips.